Musuem display features quilts by Navajo artist Susan Hudson

SUN photo/Randi Pierce
Susan Hudson talks with guests about her quilts at the Pagosa Springs History Museum on May 23. Hudson’s quilts will remain on display at the museum until mid-September. The museum is located at the corner of Pagosa and 1st streets in downtown Pagosa Springs and is open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.[/caption]

“You get dreams and they open the door for you … step through it,” urges Susan Hudson.

In the tradition of Navajo storytellers, Hudson honors her ancestors and her past through her stories. In addition to her beautiful oral stories, she preserves the past through her ledger-style quilts.

Hudson’s mother taught her to sew during Hudson’s summer visits to Sheep Springs, N.M. By the age of 9, she was making quilts. Many quilts were made and sold to raise money for her family.

Hudson is an up-and-coming artist in the Indian arts and crafts world. She began entering her quilts in shows beginning in 2011. She has won numerous prizes. The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian purchased her quilt “Tears Of Our Children, Tears For Our Children” for its permanent collection in 2014.

Five of her show quilts are on display this summer at the Pagosa Springs History Museum.

‘29 Warriors’

Hudson honors her ancestors and all Navajo Code Talkers with her “29 Warriors” quilt. This quilt is done in the ledger style developed by Hudson for telling her stories. It remembers the Navajo Long Walk, along with the Navajo Code Talkers.

The full version of this story is available in the print edition and e-edition of the Pagosa Springs SUN. Subscribe today by calling (970)264-2100 or click here.